A rather footloose Charles Rangel glowed in the best wishes of some 800 people, most of whom presumably paid the advertised ticket price of $250 to $2500 for his birthday at the famed Plaza Hotel. “He has fought for New York through thick and thin,” Sen. Charles Schumer told the throng of Rangel supporters. “We are so grateful and thankful for that.” And Andrew Cuomo, the state Attorney General who is the Democrats’ nominee for governor said: "His voice has always been a powerful voice for the forgotten people and the forgotten places of this nation. That's why we're here tonight to say Happy Birthday Congressman Charles Rangel."
The day before Rangel had offered an unexpected – and rambling – account of his side of the 13 ethics charges pending against him in the U. S. House of Representatives. He took to the floor of the House chamber for more than a half hour, against the wishes of his legal and political advisers, demanding an expedited trial so he can get on with his re-election bid. The New York primary is Sept. 14.
“This damn sure ain’t no funeral, is it?” Rangel commented as he looked out over the Plaza gathering. It was not. But if they have game, now is the time for his opponents to step it up. They should know this is going to take more than talk to depose Rangel when one of his buddies, the ever genteel (publicly at least ) former Mayor David Dinkins, gives the finger to a heckler as he enters the celebration.
No comments:
Post a Comment